Doug Donelan looks perfectly presentable for our lunch date at
the Jester House Café in Tasman, at the top of New Zealand's South
Island. But I'm momentarily surprised when he announces he's in the
fashion business.

It quickly dawns, however, that the reference is to his role as
chief executive of New Zealand Hops, an industry that's adjusting
to the fact the hop is now hip, for the explosion of craft brewing
here in Nelson has given the region a new label - craft-beer
capital of Brew Zealand.

I don't share the current enthusiasm for holidays outside one's
comfort zone. I'm an advocate of holidays deep within the comfort
zone, and that's why I'm in Nelson, a city as sparkling as an amber
ale, as elegant and refined as a pilsner, and as satisfying as a
dark lager. It isn't listed among the world's hottest destinations
- another reason why it's one of the world's nicest.

Even before I'd bent an elbow, Nelson was striking a chord. This
place has always had élan. Life aboard the ships bringing settlers
to the antipodes wasn't always pretty, but the tone aboard the New
Zealand Company ships Arrow, Whitby and Will Watch, bringing
settlers from the English port of Gravesend to Nelson, must have
had a degree of refinement. The ships had ventured only as far as
the Bay of Biscay in May 1841 when the officers aboard created the
Literary and Scientific Institution of Nelson and sent money back
to home for books "of a useful character" to form the basis of a
library. Exhibits and artefacts were also donated.

The suggestion of privilege was confirmed in 1858 when Nelson was
proclaimed a city by Royal Charter, the first in the South Island.
To a degree, this sense of prestige remains today, though the city
of about 46,000 and rising also radiates an impression of having
rolled up its sleeves. Newcomers are attracted by the Nelson-Tasman
region's spectacular coastal scenery - spanning Tasman and Golden
Bays, and Abel Tasman National Park - and the city's cosmopolitan
atmosphere; its events calendar is stacked with festivals, concerts
and exhibitions celebrating the region's art, music, food, wine
and, yes, beer. This year-round activity rewards the city with
surprisingly upscale dining and a lively bar scene.

Artisanal enterprise has long been respected and supported in this
region. Ceramicists, glassblowers, woodworkers and silversmiths
live here in a sort of Middle Earth meets middle age; locals boast
that The One Ring in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
was designed and crafted in Nelson. This respect for the artisanal
ethic might account for the fact this region has more craft
breweries per head of population than anywhere else in the country.
That, and the hops.

Hard on the heels of the British settlers who brought
enlightenment to these parts was a shipload of German migrants who
brought hops - it was always going to be the meeting of two great
cultures. Today the region grows New Zealand's entire commercial
hop harvest. When the great craft beers of Nelson-Tasman are
analysed, it's the freshness of the hops that distinguishes them.
Hops oxidise with time and travel, and beers brewed close to the
hops' source display a fresh zing and spiciness.

What defines a craft beer? The US Brewers Association says it's a
brewery that's independent of major brewery control and which
produces no more than six million barrels a year, of which at least
half comprises flavour-driven all-malt beers. In our part of the
world, the definition is a little more fluid, but by common consent
it refers to beer based on ingredients and methods chosen by the
brewer, rather than the accountants or the marketing
department.

Regardless of the temperature at which they're served, craft beers
are hot. While there's a worldwide trend of declining mainstream
beer sales, craft beer sales are rising. In the US, where the
revolution began, there are more than 2,500 craft breweries. In the
UK, where total beer sales are plummeting, 187 new craft breweries
emerged last year. Portland, Oregon, and Bristol in south-west
England are established craft-beer tourism destinations. In New
Zealand, it's Nelson.

In most creative environments, the advice is "think outside the
square". In Nelson, it's "drink outside the square". Distinctive
regional characteristics appear in its beers, wines and ciders.
"Today, beer is being produced by hobbits in anoraks and drunk by
toffs in tuxedos," says Dick Tout, who bills his Lighthouse Brewery
in Nelson as "the smallest legal brewery in the country".
Innovation is a key element of craft brewing, but even other craft
brewers regard Tout as a maverick. His microbrewery has a tiny
200-litre capacity, and on any given day he might produce a complex
pilsner, a chocolatey stout or a boysenberry cider. The same
creative spirit is infused in Patrick Stowe's handcrafted Rimu
Grove wines, in the spirits and liqueurs from Liquid Alchemy
Distillery, in Max Jones's Da'Maha organic coconut water, and in
Caroline and Alex Peckham's ciders. The Peckhams make their
English-style cider from 20 varieties of heritage cider apple trees
grown in their Moutere Valley orchard, the largest cider orchard in
New Zealand.

Donelan proves a fine guide on the Craft Beer Trail, stretching
from Founders Heritage Park in mid-city Nelson to Onekaka, 120
kilometres north-west in Golden Bay. This amber highway of more
than 20 breweries and venues provides a lively backdrop to the
craft-beer revolution. A regular judge in international
competitions, Donelan knows hops and he knows beer. He thinks beer
is an appropriate drink with which to toast major milestones such
as peace on Earth or the fact the fridge is still working. He also
has firm opinions about the choice of beer over wine.

"People have realised that these days you can eat well without a
lot of pretension and mega-bucks," he says over a double-baked
cheese soufflé at Jester House. "Many people are still more
comfortable with beer than wine. They are finding that beer is a
great companion for modern food, and they are finding that craft
beers allow them to express their individuality and style without
wine's snobbiness."

It's an opinion reflected in many of Nelson's better eating
houses. The menu at promisingly named Hopgood's Restaurant &
Bar recommends pairing The Mussel Inn's Captain Cooker Fresh Manuka
Beer - a spicy brew with hints of ginger and rose oil - with the
duck dishes; Bays Amadeus Pilsner with the scampi or scallops; and
Founders Red Ale - slight malt sweetness and clean hop bitterness -
with slow-cooked pork belly. Chefs Kevin Hopgood and Aaron
Ballantyne use local ingredients in dishes that are a revelation of
flavour and presentation. There's plenty of local pride here:
there's respect for craft beer, organic vegetables are hand-picked
daily and the wine list pays tribute to the best local producers,
including Neudorf, Seifried, Rimu Grove, Greenhough and Woollaston
Estates. Hopgood is enthusiastic about matching beer with food,
believing the effervescence in beers allows them to express complex
flavour profiles more emphatically than wine.

On the waterfront at Boat Shed Café, Daniel Monopoli also
champions local craft beers. His career includes a term at David
Thompson's Nahm restaurant in London, and the sharing concept at
Boat Shed draws on Thompson's belief in presenting a selection of
dishes to create balance and harmony. Boat Shed's setting and
Monopoli's instincts make oysters, mussels and cockles favourites
on the menu - "Great," he says, "with the citrus aromas of pale ale
and, in the case of oysters, even the malty classic stout from
Lighthouse Brewery."

A detour from the Craft Beer Trail still involves superior brews.
An outing called The Food Source shows you can survive in the wild
with just a barbecue - oh, and a chef and a helicopter. From Nelson
airport or the Reid helicopter base at nearby Wakefield, hop aboard
the chopper with chef Matt Bouterey of Boutereys Catering and his
barbecue, and flit off for an unforgettable lunch. It might be to a
deserted beach for a meal of freshly caught seafood; or a vineyard
to pick up some wine, then off to a high-country sheep
station.

And here we are, more than 1,000 metres up in the Richmond Ranges,
waiting for feral goats to scamper off a forest clearing. This is
the setting for our lunch of spicy fennel gazpacho, salmon sashimi,
confit duck leg with toasted almonds, spinach, cress, basil and
parsley, and caramelised apple and almond cake. "Will you have wine
with that," Bouterey asks, "or a local craft beer?"

A compulsory visit on the Craft Beer Trail is The Free House in
Nelson. Since opening in 2009, it has introduced its clientele to
more than 500 beer varieties from more than 60 New Zealand craft
brewers. Independence is at the heart of The Free House concept
borrowed from Britain; hotels are owned independently of the
breweries that supply them, so can serve any beer they wish. Mic
Dover and Eelco Boswijk established the pub in a former Dutch
Reform Church in 2009. "We don't exactly worship beer," says
Boswijk, "but we do hold it in great reverence." Part converted
church and part Mongolian yurt, it's a convivial crucible of
libertarian ideals, virtue ethics, stimulating conversation, live
music and conspicuously good beer.

Terry McCashin began brewing craft beers in the Nelson suburb of
Stoke in 1981 when the only beers available in New Zealand pubs
were made by two major breweries. McCashin's Mac's beers were a
revelation and their success led to the inevitable - a takeover by
the Lion Nathan group. The McCashin family retained ownership of
the brewery building, however, and in 2009 McCashin's eldest son,
Dean, reopened it and launched Stoke beer. McCashin's is the
largest of Nelson's independent brewers and currently bottles
10,000 litres a day. The distinctive Stoke Bomber range includes a
smoky ale reminiscent of Bavarian smoked beer and a KPA (Kiwi Pale
Ale) that features notes of marmalade, peppery spices and the
characteristic citrus hints of local Wai-iti hops.

You're never far from a craft-beer outlet on the trail. When
calculating travel times, allow for the fact there are six Sprig
& Fern taverns and a Sprig & Fern brewery dotted around the
district. There's Founders Brewery, The Free House and Harrys Bar
in Nelson city, and McCashin's Brewery, Lighthouse Brewery and Bays
Brewery in the nearby suburb of Stoke.

In the beautiful Tasman and Golden Bay areas west of Nelson,
lifestyles get more alternative and the beers get funkier. A
favourite stop for beer trailblazers is the Golden Bear Brewery at
Mapua, where expat Californian Jim Matranga produces about a dozen
distinctive beers, the bestseller being Seismic India Pale Ale. His
two great loves are beer and Mexican food, ideally together, so the
brewery café serves tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos and
tostadas. The afternoons pass quickly here.

All Nelson's craft brewers give a nod of deference to Martin
Townshend, of Townshend Brewery in Upper Moutere. He's noted for
his American amber ale Sutton Hoo and Black Arrow Pilsner. The
place to taste them is Moutere Inn, built in 1850 and one of New
Zealand's oldest pubs. With 16 taps of local craft beer and
gastro-pub dining, this is a magnet for craft beer fashionistas.
It's also home to the Moutere Brewing Company, which produces
traditional German-style brews in recognition of the area's early
German settlers.

Newest of the Nelson-Tasman brewers attracting trail traffic are
Simon and Nicki Nicholas. They live among the hops they use in the
Hop Federation Brewery they've established in an old butcher's shop
at Riwaka, on the border of Tasman and Golden Bays. They came here
for a relaxed life, but there's no doubting the focus that goes
into their popular Red IPA (India Pale Ale) and a complex, malty
American Brown Ale.

The Craft Beer Trail ends at Onekaka in Golden Bay, where Andrew
Dixon's Mussel Inn makes the celebrated Captain Cooker Fresh Manuka
Beer based on a recipe, it's claimed, that Captain Cook created for
his crew. An all-malt beer using organic local hops, it's flavoured
with fresh tips from the native manuka tree.

Many varieties of hops have been developed - and are still being
developed - since German and English settlers established hop
gardens here more than 150 years ago. Today the region produces 16
unique varieties - hops with names such as Motueka, Riwaka, Wai-iti
and Nelson sauvin revealing ties to the region's history and
geography. The hop of the moment is sauvin, which displays the
distinctive gooseberry notes that have made local sauvignon blanc
wines so popular.

The region's hop-growing epicentre is contained within the
triangle defined by Motueka, Tapawera and Brightwater, the latter
town just out of Nelson. Among the 17 growers who own New Zealand
Hops Limited are Colin Oldham (owner of New Hoplands, one of New
Zealand's first organic hop farms) and Peter Lines, at Wakefield.
While Oldham has the distinction of being a Knight of the Order of
the Hop - an ancient French order - he and Lines describe
themselves as "a couple of farmers doing a bit of brewing". They
are directors of the Totara Brewing Company, New Zealand's only
hop-farm brewery, and source of the acclaimed Totara Gold beer and
limited-edition Ninkasi Green ale. In the droll manner of laid-back
Nelson, Lines says: "We only sell what we can't drink
ourselves."

STAYSplit Apple Retreat
Surrounded by national park and the retreat's exotic gardens,
Split Apple overlooks Tasman Bay and wows guests attracted by its
reputation as both a wellness centre and an exclusive luxury
getaway. There are three oceanfront rooms, and the retreat's
fit-out is a harmonious blend of contemporary design and antique
art and artefacts. The beautifully presented and nutritionally
balanced meals are a highlight. From $673 per night. 195 Tokongawa
Dve, Motueka, +64 3 527 8377

DRINKThe Free House
Centrally located, this is a community centre for the beer-minded.
Always 16 craft beers on tap and a discerning clientele of craft
beer fanciers in attendance. 95 Collingwood St, Nelson, +64 3 548
9391

Moutere Inn
There's a rotating list of about 135 craft beers and ciders, and
great pub grub. This is the best place to find the brews of local
craft-brewing hero Martin Townshend. 1406 Moutere Hwy, Upper
Moutere,
+64 3 543 2759

DOThe Food Source
Travel by helicopter with a chef and his barbecue to a secluded
beach, vineyard, high-country station or mountain clearing for a
memorable meal of seafood, meat or game fresh from its source. +64
3 541 9530

STAYSplit Apple Retreat
Surrounded by national park and the retreat's exotic gardens,
Split Apple overlooks Tasman Bay and wows guests attracted by its
reputation as both a wellness centre and an exclusive luxury
getaway. There are three oceanfront rooms, and the retreat's
fit-out is a harmonious blend of contemporary design and antique
art and artefacts. The beautifully presented and nutritionally
balanced meals are a highlight. From $673 per night. 195 Tokongawa
Dve, Motueka, +64 3 527 8377

DRINKThe Free House
Centrally located, this is a community centre for the beer-minded.
Always 16 craft beers on tap and a discerning clientele of craft
beer fanciers in attendance. 95 Collingwood St, Nelson, +64 3 548
9391

Moutere Inn
There's a rotating list of about 135 craft beers and ciders, and
great pub grub. This is the best place to find the brews of local
craft-brewing hero Martin Townshend. 1406 Moutere Hwy, Upper
Moutere,
+64 3 543 2759

DOThe Food Source
Travel by helicopter with a chef and his barbecue to a secluded
beach, vineyard, high-country station or mountain clearing for a
memorable meal of seafood, meat or game fresh from its source. +64
3 541 9530